Creative Ways to Stay Connected to Your Small Group
We’re not meant to be alone. When God created us, He intended for us to be in relationships - to have a community. And yet, here we are, in the middle of a global pandemic, separated from so much of our community. So how are we supposed to stay connected with a community of people when we can’t get out of our houses and see them in person? Are there still ways that we can get intentional with how we stay connected with our friends or our small group that used to meet together?
Staying connected with people should not just stop at quick texts or hello’s - it’s important that we go deeper! This is why it’s so crucial to have close friends or a small group of people in your life to challenge you, encourage you, and keep you accountable to what you are learning and living.
Creative Resources for Virtual Small Groups & Bible Studies
CARRY BIBLE APP - Stay Connected Even When You Can’t Be Together!
https://www.carrybible.com/
I’ve been waiting for an app like this for a long time! Even when I was leading small groups and Bible study groups, I was always looking for ways to keep the conversation going throughout the week in-between the times that we would meet together. This app is all about reading the Bible together with a group of people and staying connected to your groups. You can create multiple different groups within the app (which is helpful if you are leading a small group of students, but also have your own adult Bible study), share and discuss passages with messages and comments, and more!
RIGHTNOW MEDIA - Streaming Video Library of Bible Studies
https://www.rightnowmedia.org/
“It’s like the Netflix for Christian Bible Studies.” RightNow Media is an incredible video library resource for churches and small groups! There are hundreds of different Bible Study series from many prominent Christian leaders and authors that you can choose from. Normally you can only create an account for RightNow Media and access their library of videos if your church uses the RightNow service. As of the writing of this post (May 2020), RightNow Media has an offer for a Limited Library of videos available even if you don’t have access to RightNow Media through your church. While these Bible Study videos make a lot of sense for meeting in person, you can still get creative with how you can use this resource with your small group. One option would be to have everyone in your small group get their own account and watch the videos on their own time and then you can choose a time to “meet” and talk together about the study. Another option would be to pick a video conference platform where you can also share your screen, so that one person in your small group is streaming the video for you all to watch at the same time, and then discuss as a group at the end of the video.
VIDEO CONFERENCE CALLS
There are so many different resources out there for Video Conference calls right now! While there is no right or wrong platform to use, there are certainly pros & cons to consider for how to stay connected with your small group. When looking for the right video call platform to use with your small group, consider a few things to make the best decision for you:
Is this service free or is there going to be a cost for people?
Is there a time limit? Will be restricted to only be able to meet for a set amount of time, or can we go as long as we would like?
What devices can this work on? Will my small group be able to connect if they are on Mac instead of Windows, or with an iPhone or Android device?
Once you have thought through those parameters, you will want to make a decision on how you want to call and meet with your small group! Here are a few suggestions for video call platforms that you could use:
Zoom - I’m sure you’ve heard of Zoom by now! This platform is likely going to be familiar to many people by this point, and is free, but there is a time limit of 40 minutes per meeting for free users. If you expect your meetings to go longer than that, you could always see if someone in your group has a paid plan and ask them to setup the meetings each time.
Facetime Video Call - If everyone in your small group happens to be an iPhone user, then you might want to consider using Facetime to call everyone! Users can make a Facetime call over their iPhone or on their Mac computer (if they have one).
GROUP MESSAGING APPS
Some of the best accountability and encouragement often happens throughout the week when challenging or exciting things come up, and it doesn’t always make sense to wait once a week for your meeting (or longer, if your group doesn’t meet once a week!). So how can you stay well-connected between those meetings? Here are a few suggestions for ways that you can keep the conversation going between your small group times:
Group Texts - you can always just shoot out some regular group text messages throughout the week! While this might be the easiest, it can also become overwhelming for some people, especially if they are prone to feeling like they need to answer every text message right away! There can also be some communication issues if you have people using different platforms (some on iPhone, some on Android).
Marco Polo - If you really like being able to see other people and share video messages, then Marco Polo might be a great fit for your small group! Just set up your small group members as a group within Marco Polo and send video messages whenever you are studying the Bible or something comes up throughout the week that you want to share with your group. The best thing about this app is that you can go in and watch the videos whenever it suits you best.
WhatsApp - Another group messaging platform that is used by millions of people around the world. WhatsApp claims to have some of the best security for messages out there.
GroupMe - A group messaging platform that is available on all phones as an app, as well as on desktops.
While there are so many options out there for group messages, how do you know what is going to be best for you to use for your small group? I would recommend that you start by asking everyone in your group what they are already familiar with and what they would like to be using! Pick something that isn’t necessarily brand new for everyone. Whatever platform you decide to use, you want it to be useful and something that will actually enhance your connections within your small group community!
Do you have a small group that you have been meeting with even during this current COVID-19 pandemic? How have you been actively connecting with them even when you can’t meet in person? Let me know if you have used any of these creative resources, or if you have other ways that you have stayed connected with your small group that I didn’t list above!
